A Dark Oblivion
by Angelicblue
Summary: [Sequal to Demon's Pinion] It seems the demon world was not completely destroyed. Our heroes have yet to realize it as the darkness begins to spread. Will they be able to stop the chaos in time? R
1. So it wasn't the End

So it wasn't the End  
  
Slouched on the couch, Strider flipped through the channels on the big screen. His face had a bored expression and his finger just kept pushing the channel button. Angel walked in and flopped onto the couch next to Strider.  
  
"Anything good on?" she asked, her voice matching the boredom on Strider's face.  
  
Without changing his expression or even looking at Angel, Strider shook his head. Angel let out a sigh and leaned back into the couch. Just as Strider was about to hit the channel button again, the screen suddenly changed. Both Strider and Angel sat up at the same time. A judge appeared on the screen.  
  
"Greetings Last Guard Team. Your next battle is against the Class B Team Breakers. The battle is set at the coordinates B-75 and will officially begin at 1500 hours tomorrow. This battle is in battle mode 0982 with three Zoids on each side. If you do not show up you will forfeit the match and Team Breakers will be proclaimed the winners. This will be your last battle before the Cloud Cup* begins. Good day."  
  
The screen blanked out and went back to the normal TV channels. Strider and Angel no longer felt bored. They looked at each other and grinned. At the same time, Strider and Angel bolted from the couch, each trying to reach K.O. first to tell him the news. When they found him, they nearly pummeled him.  
  
"Whoa! Guys! Cool it! What's up?" K.O. said, laughing as he jumped out of the way of the two pilots.  
  
"Looks like we have one more battle before the Cloud Cup starts, oh fearless leader!" Strider said.  
  
"Three on three at coordinates B-75! 3 o'clock tomorrow against the Breakers," Angel added.  
  
K.O. cocked an eyebrow. "Breakers huh? They use Genos I've heard. But even with those Zoids they're still Class B. Shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"Yeah, and since the ZBC has disallowed usage of Charged Particle Cannons in official battles, we won't have to worry about getting too banged up," Ariel said, walking in on the conversation.  
  
"Well who invited you?" Strider asked, feigning annoyance.  
  
Ariel laughed and playfully punched Strider's arm.  
  
"So I hear we're up against the Breakers. They only have three Zoids... And we have four..."  
  
Everyone eyed everyone else suspiciously. K.O. shrugged and walked off.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Angel asked.  
  
"I'm the captain, therefore I'm automatically in the battle. Simple."  
  
"No fair!" Strider complained.  
  
"Well you didn't work you ass off to create this team now did you?" K.O. said, a grin on his face.  
  
Strider folded his arms and scoffed.  
  
"Oh you guys are such babies! I'll stay in the cargo hold. None of you guys even have the slightest clue how to use the controls or the computers anyway," Ariel said.  
  
"It's settled then. Strider, Angel, get your Zoids prepared for the battle. Ariel, I want you to try and find some more information on the Breakers. We already know some stuff about them, but I want to be able to be able to know exactly what these guys are going to do," K.O. said.  
  
"And...Break!" Strider said, clapping his hands together.  
  
Ariel slapped Strider upside the head as she walked away.  
  
"Hey! That hurt!"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kazeyama Repair Shop  
  
"Alright. All done, buddy."  
  
Jake patted the Shadow Fox's leg. The Fox let out an excited yip. Jake laughed as he wiped his hands off with a rag.  
  
"You done, Jakey?"  
  
"Yeah. Can I take a break?" Jake called back.  
  
"10 minutes."  
  
"Cheapskate..." Jake mumbled as he wiped his forehead with the same rag.  
  
But a break was a break. Jake walked outside of the garage and let the cool breeze caress his face. He sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall of the garage. Closing his eyes, Jake tried to rest his mind.  
  
"Not exactly the greatest time for a nap, eh Jake?"  
  
Startled, Jake stumbled to his feet. The familiar Blade Sniper stood before Jake. The cockpit opened up and Kat grinned down at Jake.  
  
"Kat!"  
  
Kat jumped down from her Zoid and walked up to him.  
  
"Long time no see."  
  
"Yeah. Business has been really good lately. I've got my work cut out for me," Jake said, with a tired grin.  
  
"I've got another job for you. My Sniper needs some repairs and a few upgrades if you will."  
  
"You just have to come on my break don't you?" Jake said shaking his head.  
  
Kat laughed and followed Jake into the garage in her Zoid. Jumping out of the cockpit once more, Kat looked around the building.  
  
"Roomy in here isn't it?" she said.  
  
"It can fit up to 50 Zoids in here with two yard spacing between each one on all sides," Jake answered as he looked over the Blade Sniper.  
  
The Zoid grumbled, not wanting to have anything to do with Jake, but stood still. Jake looked back at Kat.  
  
"I'll have your Zoid done in a few hours." He then smiled warmly. "It's great to see you again."  
  
"It's great to see you too. I'll be back in 3 hours then."  
  
Jake nodded and watched Kat leave.  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Kreuz Team Base  
  
"Snxx-xx-xxxx..."  
  
Cloud was sprawled on the armchair, mouth open, snoring. He still had his pajamas on, so it looked as if he had gotten out of bed, walked downstairs, and fell asleep again once he sat down in the armchair. Death trudged down the stairs, scratching the back of his head. Though it was noon, it looked like he had just woken up. He walked passed Cloud and into the kitchen. Upon entering, Death saw Jamie making a sandwich for himself. Jamie, unlike Cloud and Death, was fully dressed and awake. Death scowled at his perkiness and opened the fridge.  
  
"Well good morning to you too," Jamie said sarcastically.  
  
He walked out of the door and almost ran into Rit.  
  
"Oh. Sorry," Rit mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.  
  
She then proceeded to go inside in the kitchen. Jamie shrugged and went to the computer room, sandwich in hand. He sat down in the chair, and started the system.  
  
"Let's look at the schedules for today."  
  
He clicked a few times, and the Zoid battling schedules popped up on the screen. Jamie scrolled down, looking for any familiar teams or teams he particularly liked. He stopped and peered at the screen.  
  
[Last Guard Team vs. Team Breakers at 15:00]  
  
"They have one more battle? Wow. I thought all the Class A teams would be done with all their battles by now. But I guess they got a last minute request," Jamie thought aloud, in between bites of his sandwich.  
  
He scrolled some more, but found only Class B and C battles that weren't worth watching. Leaning back in his chair, Jamie took another bite out of his sandwich. He decided to look up some information on the Breakers just for the fun of it. Opening the ZBC global database, Jamie typed in Breakers then clicked the Team Search button.  
  
[8 matches for Team Search "Breakers"]  
  
The first one was the Class B Team Breakers, so Jamie clicked on it. Scrolling down, something caught his eye and he stopped. There was a blinking symbol that flashed *New!* under Team Zoids. Clicking the link, the list of the Zoids and their stats showed up. Jamie didn't see anything new until he reached the last Zoid. Instead of a Geno Breaker, in its place was a Geno Maxi. Jamie scrolled through the stats, and found the stats almost twice as good as the Geno Breaker's. This was one incredible Zoid.  
  
"No wonder the Breakers have been on a winning streak. They've got this new Zoid. If the Last Guard Team loses, the Breakers will move up to Class A and participate in the Cloud Cup. But I have no worries that the Last Guard Team'll deal with them."  
  
Jamie closed the windows and bit into his sandwich again. He leaned back in his chair once more and chewed on the piece of sandwich in his mouth.  
  
"I wonder where Vega is..."  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Somewhere...  
  
The stars were brilliant that night. Shane sat on the log, watching the sparks from the fire fly into the sky, mingling amongst the bright dots in the black void. Arrow sat on her shoulder, staying close enough to the fire to feel some heat, but far enough to not get too much of it. Birds were often weary about flames. The Gryphantom was parked behind Shane, enjoying the flame from afar.  
  
"Smores?"  
  
A bag was tossed in Shane's direction. Shane caught it with one hand and looked down at it. It was a bag of marshmallows. Jason emerged from the shadows with two sharpened sticks, graham crackers, and some bars of chocolate. He threw a stick toward Shane.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Shane opened the bag and took out a marshmallow, swiftly spearing it with her stick and placing it over the fire. Sitting down next to Shane, Jason took two and did the same. The two sat next to each other in silence, enjoying the others company, but not wanting to ruin it by talking. Shane leaned against Jason's strong body and rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Whoa," Jason said, pulling his marshmallows out of the fire.  
  
He blew out his flaming marshmallows and put them between some crackers and chocolate. The flames crackled as the two sat in silence, Jason eating his smore, and Shane picking at her marshmallow. But just as they were feeling settled, there was a roar. Both Jason and Shane jumped up onto their feet, looking around for the source of the noise.  
  
"Well this doesn't seem familiar..." Shane mumbled, recalling the first time she had met Jason.  
  
Jason turned toward Shane and grinned. "But you don't regret it right?"  
  
The Gryphantom and Jason's Zabat turned toward the direction of the noises as their pilots entered the cockpits. They rose off the ground into the blackened sky as the roaring continued.  
  
"Let's split up a little. That way if it's something hostile it won't catch us both off guard and if one of us gets into trouble the other can help," Jason said.  
  
Shane nodded. "Looks like the roaring is coming from only one Zoid, so if we circle around it in opposite directions, we'll be able to get a good view of it."  
  
The two Zoids split up and flew in opposite directions. Shane started to get a funny feeling as the roaring grew louder. The Gryphantom let out a screech.  
  
"Alright. Increase altitude."  
  
The Zoid flew up higher into the sky while still moving on the same path. Shane looked down and gaped. A huge glowing swirl had engulfed a large portion of the trees. Grabbing the communicator, Shane babbled out a description of what she saw to Jason. Jason barely heard what Shane was saying.  
  
"That thing... It's that same thing that swallowed up Jake before we destroyed the demon..."  
  
*The ZBC changed the name of the Royal Cup in memory of Bit Cloud after he aided in the fall of the Backdraft.  
  
{A/N: Dun dun DUN!! So I hope you liked the first chapter. There's plenty more where that came from! Please review!} 


	2. Reunited

Reunited  
  
A black, serpentine shape stood amongst a graveyard of metal scraps. Its eyes glowed with red fury as a low hiss escaped from its opened mouth. Behind the Zoid, a charred judge capsule lay fallen on its side. Letting out a mournful roar, the Zoid coiled up and shot into the sky, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. With its small, red claws tucked into its side, the Chinese dragon-type Zoid streaked across the afternoon sky.  
  
"Shini, I'll find you," the girl in the cockpit whispered.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Last Guard Team Base  
  
"Uh... K.O?" Ariel tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"What is it?" K.O. asked, turning around.  
  
Ariel handed K.O. a piece of paper. Taking it in hand, K.O. scanned over the paper.  
  
"Geno... Maxi?" he mumbled to himself.  
  
"Yeah. It seems to be a different evolution of the Geno Saurer. The stats are way better than the Geno Breaker's."  
  
K.O. handed the paper back to Ariel.  
  
"I'll just make a few more adjustments to my Liger. Make sure Strider and Angel get to see this paper too. Do you have a strategy cooked up for us yet?"  
  
Ariel nodded. "I've almost got it all planned out. We have about three more hours before we leave, and you guys still have to eat lunch. I'll show Strider and Angel this then go make some lunch for you guys."  
  
"Thanks Ariel," K.O. said.  
  
Ariel grinned. "No problem, fearless leader."  
  
K.O. scowled. "You've been hanging around Strider too much."  
  
Ariel laughed and walked away. Upon entering the Zoid hangar, she showed Strider and Angel the Maxi's stats.  
  
"Whoa," Strider said, looking at the stats.  
  
"K.O. just told me to show you stats so you guys would be ready for it," Ariel said. "And I'm making lunch. Sandwiches okay?"  
  
"Roast beef please," Strider said.  
  
"Turkey," Angel replied.  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
Ariel walked out of the hangar, thinking of a good enough strategy to defeat the Breakers.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Dranuer City  
  
A man walked down the streets, a cloak wrapped around him. The rain poured down heavily, and there was no one else walking. He entered a café, and looked around. The place was fairly empty due to the rain. Vega took off his cloak and hung it on the coat hanger. One of the waitresses looked up and waved.  
  
"Hi, Vega!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Vega smiled, but did not acknowledge her in any other way. He sat down at an empty booth and ordered a cup of coffee. His order came promptly. Vega picked up the cup and sipped from it slowly. After the demon queen had been defeated, he was no longer under her spell. But he had been hexed for so long, he still felt it. He never felt the same. Vega took another sip of his coffee. But he had gotten a lot closer to Rit since then, and for that he was glad. But there was still a dark feeling inside his head. Many times Vega had tried to ignore it, but it was growing, this feeling. He had even heard voices. They were quiet at first, but they slowly grew.  
  
"It's not over," was the only thing he could make out.  
  
The TV snapped on. It showed a dark picture of a Zoid battle. The rain made it harder to discern, but Vega could see that it was the battle between Team Breakers and the Last Guard Team.  
  
"This should be interesting," he said, sipping his coffee.  
  
"No kidding," came a voice.  
  
Vega turned around, and saw a woman standing beside his booth. She had a latte in her hand, and her eyes were glued to the screen.  
  
"I've heard the Last Guard Team was good, but the Breakers have a new and improved Geno." She scowled. "Those good-for-nothings. Well this battle aught to teach 'em that you can't win with just a good Zoid."  
  
Vega blinked at the woman a few times, trying to figure out if he knew her or not. The woman noticed him staring.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I'm Kathrine Taylor. Just call me Kat," Kat said, holding out her hand.  
  
Vega smiled. "Vega Obscura. Pleased to meet you."  
  
Kat's eyes widened.  
  
"THE Vega Obscura? The captain of the Kreuz Team?"  
  
"That's me," Vega said with a grin.  
  
"Wow. Who'da thought."  
  
"You can sit down if you want to. Not that there's a lack of seats or anything..." Vega said.  
  
"Oh, thanks."  
  
Kat sat down. The two talked for a little, but the battle was beginning.  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
Coordinates B-75  
  
The two Blade Ligers and the Reaper-Zero stood facing the two Geno Breakers and the Geno Maxi. Both teams seemed tense. The Reaper-Zero was anxiously pawing the ground.  
  
"Calm down Zero. We'll get our chance soon enough," Angel said, reassuring her Zoid.  
  
The judge capsule shot toward the ground, creating a huge crater as it hit the surface of the earth. The capsule rose out of the damp ground.  
  
"Warning, the area within a 15 mile radius is now a designated zoid battle field. Only competitors and personnel are allowed in the area. Danger! All others must leave the area at once! Area scanned, battlefield setup. The Last Guard Team versus Team Breakers. Battle mode 0982. Ready? FIGHT!"  
  
With a roar, the Zoids took off toward each other. Ariel, sitting inside the Whaleking, started to rattle out commands. She had told the team about her strategy, but they were doing nothing of the sort.  
  
"They never listen..." she grumbled.  
  
The green Blade Liger leapt toward the nearest Breaker.  
  
"Take out the Breakers first. I repeat. Leave the Maxi alone!"  
  
K.O. and Strider extended their blades, and slashed at the two Geno Breakers. They both went down instantly. The Reaper-Zero was being completely ignored as the two Blade Ligers faced the Geno Maxi.  
  
"Heh heh..." Angel chuckled.  
  
She launched herself toward the unsuspecting Zoid with her Zero's powerful back legs. But a glowing shield suddenly went up, encompassing the whole Zoid. All three Zoids of the Last Guard Team came to a halt.  
  
"The shield can go all the way around it?" Strider said, agape.  
  
The Maxi let out a roar of triumph and charged the Reaper-Zero. But with the rain coming down as it was, the Zero was a hard target due to its dark color. The Maxi missed its charge. But it quickly regained its balance, and without even a moment's hesitation, it whipped its tail to the side, catching the Zero and throwing it down.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
The two Blade Ligers split up and charged the Maxi from both sides. But just as they were about to hit, something constricted around the Maxi, crushing it.  
  
"Warning! Warning! Unauthorized Zoid on battlefield! Leave the area at once!" the judge ordered.  
  
But a red whip came forward and hit the judge, knocking it over. The Maxi fell to the ground as the strange Zoid lifted up into the dreary sky. It's red eyes glowed, as did its whip-like whiskers.  
  
"Hey! Get out of our battle, trespasser!" Strider growled.  
  
The HellSnake turned its head toward the Blade Liger.  
  
"Shut up. You'll have your turn soon enough," the pilot hissed.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Back at the Café  
  
Kat suddenly stood up.  
  
"That voice... Shini? No! It couldn't be!"  
  
But it sounded so much like her.  
  
"I gotta go," Kat said to Vega.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
But Kat had already paid the waitress and left.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Somewhere...  
  
"What the hell is that thing?!" Shane said, looking down at the spiraling void.  
  
Something suddenly shot out of the swirl, and was coming straight toward Shane. Trying to move her Zoid, Shane turned the controls, but she knew it was in vain. Then something streaked into view and stopped in front of her. The big, glowing purple ball smashed against the shield emitted by the Zoid in front of the Gryphantom and disappeared.  
  
"You should watch it, lady," the pilot said.  
  
"Hey! Who are you calling 'lady'?!" Shane growled. "I have a name you know!"  
  
The pilot scoffed. "That's no way to talk to the guy who just saved you."  
  
"Saved... Sure," Shane said.  
  
"Well you don't know what that thing would have done to you!" the pilot shot back.  
  
"Who are you anyway?!" Shane asked.  
  
"Drake. Drake Lithran."  
  
Jason's Zabat flew over.  
  
"Hey! It's you!" Jason said.  
  
Drake grinned. "I thought I'd never see you again."  
  
Shane glared at the two men.  
  
"You know this kid?" Shane asked Jason.  
  
"Yeah. We met a while back."  
  
"Whatever," Shane grumbled. "So what is this thing anyway?" Shane asked Drake, indicating the glowing purple void.  
  
"It's a portal," Jason answered.  
  
"Was I asking you? No," Shane said to Jason.  
  
"Well your boyfriend's right," Drake said.  
  
"Watch your mouth kid!" Shane growled.  
  
Drake rolled his eyes.  
  
"It's a huge portal, anyway. It supposedly leads to the demon world, but it won't suck anything up. It's doing just the opposite. The things throwing things out."  
  
"The demon world?!" both Jason and Shane said in unison.  
  
"But I thought it was destroyed!"  
  
"Who told you that?" Drake asked.  
  
"A friend."  
  
"Well, your 'friend' may have destroyed the essential core of the demon world, but it seems the world is still surviving. There must be some alternate source controlling it. But I think the world is running low on resources. The demons are looking for a way to get to our dimension," Drake said. "And there's the gateway."  
  
Drake pointed to the portal.  
  
"Those purple things that are flying out of them? Those are the demons that've found the gateway. Mostly lowly ones though. Exiles, traitors, escaped prisoners."  
  
"They have a jail?" Shane asked, cocking and eyebrow.  
  
Drake shrugged.  
  
"Wait, but how do you know all of this?" Jason asked.  
  
"My spirit told me."  
  
"What?"  
  
Drake looked at Shane.  
  
"Duh. Don't you remember when that demon queen said we were keys? We were keys because we are linked to the Old World. Our Zoids reflect our inner spirits. They've been dormant for a long time, and have been passed from generation to generation, waiting for the time to be awakened. And that time is now."  
  
Drake continued to look Shane in the eyes.  
  
"Shane, you have to wake your spirit up. My spirit, Ashvarta, says that only when all the spirits awaken can this be stopped."  
  
Shane glared at Drake.  
  
"And what happens if these 'spirits' don't all awaken?"  
  
Drake narrowed his eyes. "Then we're all basically dead.  
  
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+  
  
Angelic: That was kind of an awkward chapter. o.O;  
  
Vega: That's okay. *(patpat)*  
  
Angelic: Oh yeah. I've finally found a muse! Yay! XDD  
  
Vega: I get paid for this right?  
  
Angelic: I already gave you that model and that dime... T.T;  
  
Vega: That's all I get!? This stinks! *(pouts)*  
  
Jamie: Oh shut up Vega-chan. ^-^  
  
Angelic: Hey! I have two muses now! XD  
  
Jamie: Who said I was going to be your muse. o.O  
  
Angelic: Me. *(grins)*  
  
Jamie: I knew I should have applied for that job at the repair shop...  
  
Angelic: Too bad. ^-^  
  
Vega: Revolt! .  
  
Angelic: Have a cookie.  
  
Vega: Okay! ^-^o *(munchmunch)*  
  
Jamie: Noo! It's all a trick Vega! Don't give in!  
  
Angelic: Cupcake?  
  
Jamie: Okay.  
  
Vega: Can I get that nice dragon Zoid now? (See Bio for more info)  
  
Angelic: No.  
  
Vega: XP Meanie. *(pouts)* 


	3. Broken Dreams

_Angelic_: Yay! I finally figured out how to use html stuffs! XD   
_Vega_: Took you long enough.   
_Angelic_: *(smack)* Shut up.   
_Vega_: Owie...   
  
**

A Dark Oblivion

**

Chapter 3: Broken Dreams

Kat ran into the shop, eyes wide with panic. She saw Jake doing some last adjustments on her Blade Sniper. Jake spotted Kat and smiled.

"Hey Kat! Your Zoid's done. Let's see... I've readjusted the boosters, cleaned out the gun barrels, oiled the joints-"

Kat grabbed Jake's arm, stopping him from talking. She looked him straight in the eyes, a serious look on her face.

"Jake, you have to come with me.

What? Go where? I have a job you kno-"

"I was watching a battle, when suddenly this... this _thing_ comes onto the screen. It looked like some weird snake-ish dragon Zoid. But when the pilot talked... It... sounded like Shinigami."

Jake was trying to get his arm out of Kat's grasp, but when he heard was she said, he froze.

"Please, Jake. I know you don't like how humans use Zoids, but if you don't fuse with my Blade Sniper I don't think we'll make it in time," Kat begged.

Jake looked hard at Kat. "What do mean, 'make it in time'?"

"That pilot already took out the Geno Maxi on Team Breakers. And she's ready to take out the Last Guard Team too."

Jake froze for a moment, deep in thought. He then shook his head and turned away.

"There's no way that could be Shinigami. We saw her..." he paused. "There's just no way it could be her."

Kat yanked on Jake's arm, spinning him around to face her once again. She looked at him angrily.

"But what if it is, Jake? What if somehow she escaped? What if somehow she managed to destroy the core of the demon world without destroying herself?!"

For a while Jake said nothing. He just stood, looking at the ground, with Kat still clinging to his arm. He finally let out a sigh.

"Old man! I'm going to jet. My shift's over."

"Alright Jakey. See you tomorrow."

"G'night," Jake said.

The hologram of the human dropped off of the organoid, and Exile looked at Kat with his indifferent silver eyes. Two wings appeared on his back, and he flew into the air, turning into a white flash before colliding into the Blade Sniper. Kat shielded her eyes as the white light engulfed her Zoid. The sleek cheetah Zoid became completely black with exceptions of its silver eyes and blades that appeared on its legs. Larger versions of Exile's titanium-feathered wings were fluttering on its back. Kat looked at her Zoid in awe. The Zoid moved and faced Kat.

_Unlike most other organoids, I not only enhance the capabilities of the Zoid I fuse with, I temporarily give some of my own traits to the Zoid,_ the Zoid said.

"Whoa. So even when you're fused you can talk? That's neat."

The Blade Sniper shifted its feet impatiently.

_Come one. Let's get a move on._

"Right," Kat said, and jumped into the cockpit.

-------------------------------------------------   
  
**Somewhere...**

Shane flew around, wanting to be alone. She grumbled to herself as the Gryphantom soared across the endless sky.

"Spirit? Me? Yeah right," she mumbled. "Besides, how am I supposed to wake it up anyway? It's not like this spirit thing came with an instruction manual..."

Shane had left both Jason and Drake, saying that she needed to have some 'alone time'. She was actually very irritated. She didn't want to recall anything about the demons at all, and here comes this kid who says a portal to the demon world has suddenly popped up. How did he know all this anyway?

_Duh! His spirit!_ said a voice in Shane's head.

_There_ is _no spirit!_ yelled another voice.

_Then how do you explain those weird thoughts and feelings you've been having lately?_ the first voice inquired.

_They're nothing!_

_You're just trying to avoid the truth!_

Shane finally banged on the controls and yelled, "Just leave me the hell alone!!!!!!"

She took in a quivering breath as her voice was stopped by the cockpit glass. The Gryphantom continued its flight, and there was no one else around. Shane switched to auto pilot and leaned back in her chair, her hands covering her face.

"Just leave me alone..."

_{{Shane's POV}}   
::Dream Sequence:: _

I opened my eyes and looked around. There was darkness all around me. I couldn't see anything but myself. It was as if someone had put a spotlight on me and only me.

"Where am I?"

There was no answer. My voice carried across the darkness, the soundwaves traveling on forever with nothing to stop them. I took a weary step forward. Solid ground. I let out a sigh of relief and continued forward. There was nothing around me as I walked on. I still couldn't see anything, only myself.

"This is weird..."

Then a sudden bright light appeared before me. I staggered backwards, shielding my eyes with my arms. It was so bright compared to the darkness I had been in. The light spread across the scene, until everything was lit. I opened my eyes again, expecting a bright light. There was light, but only a dim one. Looking around me, I saw I was in some sort of desolate construction area. There were half finished buildings and smashed rocks and metal everywhere. I took a step forward. My foot hit something that I hadn't noticed before. I bent down to look at it. It was some sort of ball. But it looked familiar...

"No..." I whispered.

I stood up and backed away from the object. It was a Zoid Core. My eyes looked around the area again, and this time I noticed the half finsihed buildings were not that at all. They were wrecked buildings. I looked around more in panic. The scrap metal around me were the armors of Zoids. I tripped, and stumbled forward. I landed on top of a Zoid's head. It's petrified eye stared blankly back at me. This wasn't a constructions sight. This was a Zoid graveyard.

  
-------------------------------------------   
  
**Coordinates B-75**

The HellSnake looked over the three Zoids with its glowing red eyes.

"Who are you?" K.O. asked, in a low threatening voice that somehow managed to sound calm.

"A deadman needs to know nothing," the pilot answered quietly.

"But a deadman deserves to know the man who killed him," K.O. said, without a moment's hesitation.

"Oh, but I am no man."

The HellSnake coiled up and shot into the sky above the three Zoids. Ariel shouted directions to them, and the three Zoids split. The HellSnake hovered overhead, deciding on which Zoid to destroy first.

"I'll leave the captain for last," she mumbled, and shot toward the Reaper-Zero. "Come here wolfie."

The whiskers on the HellSnake began to glow red hot, and launched themselves in the Zero's direction. But as they did, something hit the side of the HellSnake. And hard. The Zoid tumbled to the ground, getting tangled up in its own whiskers. A black cheetah-type Zoid stood above it, silver eyes gleaming. It's feathered wings were flaring as its front right claw was pressed against the Zoid's throat.

_Make one bad move and I will destroy your Zoid,_ the Blade Sniper said.

Ariel blinked in disbelief.

"Did that Zoid just talk?"

K.O.'s green Blade Liger walked up to the Blade Sniper and the HellSnake. The Liger growled at the Sniper.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The Blade Sniper turned its head toward the Liger.

"The name's Kathrine Taylor. Just call me Kat. As for this person? I'm trying to figure out."

The HellSnake let out a menacing hiss, and its whiskers twitched dangerously.

_I wouldn't do that,_ Exile warned. 

K.O. looked at the Sniper.

"Your Zoid talks?"

"Long story. Anyway," she turned her attention to the HellSnake. "I may be wrong but... Shinigami? I-is that you?"

The HellSnake suddenly stopped struggling. It froze and stared back at the Blade Sniper.

"Y-you know my sister?"

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_Angelic_: So what did you think? You like?   
_Vega_: Review! Review!   
_Jamie_: So we can get more cupcakes! >D   
_Vega_: No! Cookies!   
_Jamie_: Cupcakes!   
_Vega_: Cookies!   
_Angelic_: Whoever told you I was going to give you cupcakes and cookies? o.O;;;;   
_Vega_: Er... Bit? O_O   
_Angelic_: Now don't you go blaming other people!   
_Jamie_: But can we have more cupcakes and cookies if they review?   
_Angelic_: *(sigh)* Fine... -_-;;;   
_Vega & Jamie_: Yay!   
_Angelic_: It's cheaper than paying you! Lol.   
_ Vega & Jamie _: That's evil! XP 


	4. Invasion?

_Angelic_: OMG! I'm soooo sorry! I forgot to tell all you people that I was going to San Diego for a while! Also we've had an exchange student from Japan stay at our house for a while. *(Gets on hands and knees and bows)* I'm really really sorry!!   
_Vega_: Yeah! Tsk! You should be!   
_Jamie_: *(Nods head)* Yeah!   
_Angelic_: Well why didn't you guys tell them?!   
_Vega and Jamie_: *(Absolute silence...)*   
_Angelic_: You forgot too huh?   
_Vega and Jamie_: *(More silence)*   
  


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**

A Dark Oblivion

**

Chapter 4: Invasion? 

"Sister?" Kat said in disbelief. She moved the controls on her Zoid, forcing the Blade Sniper/Exile to lift his paw off of the HellSnake's throat. "You mean... You're not Shinigami?"

The HellSnake slowly got to its feet and shook itself off. It then looked at Kat.

"No. I am her younger sister, Fenris Raen. I go by Wolf though," the pilot said. "So... You know my sister?"

Exile seemed to stiffen. He uncomfortably shifted the Sniper's feet.

_She doesn't know..._ he said to Kat privately.

An angry Reaper Zero suddenly stepped in between the two Zoids.

"What the hell is going on here?! We're kind of having a battle, so if you would kindly move your mushy gushy conversation elsewhere, we would really appreciate it," Angel said irritably.

Exile turned his head toward the Reaper Zero.

_One, this happens to be sort of important and it's_ not _mushy gushy. Two, your judge is out of commission, so there's no point in you battling, and three, you don't have an opponent to battle anyway._ Exile retorted, with equal annoyance

"Okay, I just have to ask. What's up with the talking Zoid?" Strider asked

"Like I said before, LONG STORY. We can talk later," Kat said. She then turned back to Wolf. "Well... Yes, we did know your sister..." she started.

"Who do you mean by 'we'? And why is it 'did'? I mean Shini isn't-"

Kat began to talk, but she froze with her mouth open, and looked as if she were listening to something. And she was.

_Kat, I should tell her... I mean, if it wasn't for me Shinigami wouldn't be..._

"I told you before, Jake. It's not your fault."

But the organoid had already emerged from the Blade Sniper, returning the Zoid to its normal form. The black organoid looked up at the HellSnake with its blank stare. Slowly, the hologram appeared around Exile's sleek body, giving the illusion of a human boy.

"Fenris... Wolf... When Kat said we, she meant me and her."

Around him, the pilots were mumbling to each other.

"An organoid? I thought they were extinct!"   
"It can talk?"   
"How can it put up a hologram like that?"   
"That's the guy from the repair shop!" 

Jake ignored the comments from the pilots. He was also well aware that this was being broadcasted on the television. But then again, the judge was put out of commission, and nowadays the cameras were built into the judges.

"And when she said 'did', she meant it. Your sister... gave her life to stop a demon... No one else in on Zi probably knows about it, but we do. I was there when she-"

The HellSnake's whiskers were curled around Jake's neck. The red-hot wires were only inches away from touching Jake's neck. But still, the organoid stood perfectly still, looking into the cockpit of the HellSnake with his hawk gaze.

"No... I refuse to believe it... Shini is _not_ dead!" Wolf cried out.

"You have the freedom to choose what you think is true, but that will not change the fact that there is a real truth," Jake said quietly.

"Shut up! Just... shut up..."

The wires fell away from Jake's neck to the ground beside him.

"Tell me... Did... did she die proud? Shinigami always told me, that she wanted her death to have an effect on the world. She told me that she didn't want to die an old lady in bed... She wanted to go valiantly..."

Jake smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah. She died proud."

A scoff was heard. K.O. stepped up in his Blade Liger. He turned to the HellSnake.

"This is touching and all, it truly is, but you've taken out our opponent. And the judge. What do you expect us to do?"

he growled. 

Wolf snapped out of her emotional stated and hardened again. The HellSnake hissed as it turned to look at the green Blade Liger.

"That doesn't concern me."

She turned to look at Jake once again.

"We will meet again later. But for now, good-bye." And with that, the HellSnake shot into the air once again.

A Whaleking flew into view and landed behind the Last Guard Team. The mouth opened up and Ariel walked out, hands on her hips.

"Well that went well."

"I know..." Strider said sarcastically.

But K.O. was looking at the felled Genos. They were still lying motionless on the ground.

"Have you noticed the pilots haven't said a thing since we've started? I mean, they haven't even exited the cockpits..." K.O. said approaching the Maxi.

He nudged it with the foot of his Blade Liger and backed away. The Maxi continued to lay motionless on the ground. Suddenly, flashes of blakish-purple light exploded from the Genos. They circled into the sky and disappeared from site.

"What they hell were those thing?" Strider exclaimed.

"Demons," Jake answered solemnly. "We may have destroyed the demon queen as well as the power source for the demon world, but the demons themselves have not been destroyed. Before she was destroyed, it seems that Inari ripped open a portal connecting our world to the demon world. But the portal seems to be in a desolate place both here and in the demon world, because those demons seemed to be minor demons. Probably exiles and outlaws. Which is lucky for us, but it's not going to be long before the powerful demons, the ones able to fix physical forms on themselves in our world find the portal. What will happen then, I cannot say, for I don't know what will happen."

  


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_Angelic_: Ack! I'm sorry! *(bows again)* Anyway, the chapter's kind of short because I just wanted to let you people know I'm still here!   
_Vega_: But we get cookies and cupcakes since the people reviewed right?   
_Angelic_: T.T When did I say that?   
_Jamie_: In the last chapter.   
_Angelic_: Tuh. Fine. You guys are already eating me out of my house anyway... Why not give you more food so I can have absolutely NOTHING in my house?   
_Jamie_: Yay!   
_Vega_: Wait, was that sarcasm?   
_Angelic_: T.T What do you think? 


End file.
